Card Peeling

All beginners in magic should address their questions here.
absoulute
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Card Peeling

Postby absoulute » October 7th, 2009, 2:46 pm

Hey!
I figured I might ask this in the beginners forum since I have no previous experience with this. I was attempting to make my own gimmicked cards and all of the peeling methods I have read, mainly Hugard and Braue's method, seem to have me ruining a lot of otherwise healthy playing cards no matter how 'careful' I am with the process. Are there any other methods that might be easier/more successful, that any of you have discovered? Thanks in advance. - Dylan

DrDanny
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby DrDanny » October 7th, 2009, 3:23 pm

Just yesterday(?) someone pointed this out:
http://www.lybrary.com/gaff-factory-com ... p-750.html

You may not even need to buy it: the preview offered contains a 3-page photo illustrated dry-split procedure.

absoulute
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby absoulute » October 7th, 2009, 7:11 pm

Very cool stuff. This is a much more visual reference, and hopefully this will get me over the hill. Thanks

garciadini
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby garciadini » October 8th, 2009, 12:19 am

I also recall-in case still interested, a dvd called The Art of Card Splitting by Martini. Very interesting stuff.

absoulute
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby absoulute » October 8th, 2009, 3:30 am

I never would have guessed there to be so many resources available about this subject. Expert Card Technique only divulges around 1 page to it. It is well written but hard to visualize exactly the way they are doing it. This could very well save me big dollars to make the small investment in that video.

Ray Banks
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby Ray Banks » October 8th, 2009, 10:33 am

The main difference betweel Martini's DvD method and Gaff Factory is the way they "glue" the pieces together.

Martini uses rubber cement, and Gaff Factory uses dry mount tissue. Either method works well.
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Pick a card....Any card....NO not THAT card..THIS one!

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absoulute
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby absoulute » October 8th, 2009, 10:46 am

Rubber cement is what they mention in Expert Card Technique. I had honestly never even heard of dry mount tissue before reading the Gaff Factory preview

Jonathan Townsend
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby Jonathan Townsend » October 8th, 2009, 12:29 pm

The use of dry mount tissue was something of a closely held secret in NYC. The history as I heard it was the process was discovered by Charles Kalish, a salseman for Kodak photographic supplies as well as avid collector, machinist, horologist and tinkerer. This technique was assed on to Derek Dingle and later to Doug Edwards. No idea whether the technology went public via gossip at Tannen's or just over time. Charlie showed me some cards in 1980 that he had made forty years earlier. They were perfect blank faced cards. Some secrets last longer than others.

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Dave V
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby Dave V » October 8th, 2009, 12:50 pm

I played around with photo dry mount tissue when I first experimented with making cards back in the late 80's, early 90's. I figured that's how everyone did it. It was only after reading books that mentioned rubber cement that I tried the "standard" method and struggled with it being too messy compared to the tissue method.

Some things are just meant for "independent discovery."
"I still play with a full deck, I just shuffle slower"

Jonathan Townsend
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby Jonathan Townsend » October 8th, 2009, 1:09 pm

yes, as long as you remember to keep that expression in scare quotes.
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

Bill Mullins
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby Bill Mullins » October 8th, 2009, 4:32 pm

Why does the expression need to be kept in scare quotes? Kalish did it in the 1940's; Dave V did it in the 1980's. Each apparently figured out the method by himself. No shame in that, and it's not a slight on Kalish that Dave tells of his discovery.

Jonathan Townsend
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby Jonathan Townsend » October 8th, 2009, 5:44 pm

[sarcasm]
hey look i invented this thing that's smooth and you can push it and kick it just keeps moving. I'm releasing version 1 in an ebook you can get from my site and it's called the "O" thing. Version 2 is in the works and after it's been tested purchasers of version 1 can get a discount. Version 2 will have a platform that moves using the "O" device.
[/sarcasm]

The wheel is the sort of thing we see "invented" and even sold often around here in magic.

It's like reading a writeup of an "Ace Assembly" routine that does not include proper citations to Hofzinser - tiresome IMHO.

Now ask yourselves why we don't have Stuart Gordon's own writeup of his stud turnover in print... it's discouraging to some that their works get treated like trivia.
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absoulute
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby absoulute » October 8th, 2009, 7:40 pm

Does the martini dvd cover DMT at all? What are the main differences between the two (besides the cleanliness)?

Jonathan Townsend
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby Jonathan Townsend » October 8th, 2009, 11:35 pm

It's about the way the card snaps when you flick it.
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

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Dave V
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby Dave V » October 9th, 2009, 1:04 am

Oh, I've also been working on this thing with three coins that jump from hand to hand. I think I'll call it "coins moving across visibly." Look for it on my website.
"I still play with a full deck, I just shuffle slower"

Jonathan Townsend
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby Jonathan Townsend » October 9th, 2009, 6:30 am

Getting back to card splitting - has anyone found a solvent that undoes the glue/binder without destroying the finish on the card? The water method got the layers apart but without a damaged corner but also seemed to dull the finish.
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

Ray Banks
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby Ray Banks » October 9th, 2009, 9:23 am

absoulute wrote:Does the martini dvd cover DMT at all? What are the main differences between the two (besides the cleanliness)?


I haven't looked at the DvD in some while but I don't think he mentioned DMT.
Pick a card....Any card....NO not THAT card..THIS one!



Ray Banks

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Dave V
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby Dave V » October 9th, 2009, 11:41 am

I haven't looked at in a while either, but if he mentions it, it's just in passing. His focus is on the rubber cement method.

I haven't found any solvents that work at all. Dry peeling is the only thing that seems to consistently work, although damaged corners are quite common. It frequently takes me several cards to make just one but I don't do it that often.
"I still play with a full deck, I just shuffle slower"

Necromancer
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby Necromancer » October 9th, 2009, 12:26 pm

In today's world of photo-quality personal computer printers, I'm not sure card splitting is even necessary.

I made a great Hallucination gaff (Eddie Clever in PME) using instructions contained here.
http://www.mylovelyassistant.com/review ... de58e65c79

Best,
Neil
Neil Tobin, Necromancer

absoulute
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby absoulute » October 9th, 2009, 1:25 pm

Dry mount tissue seems to be widely available, so I will definitely try that method. Is the application of the DMT itself a difficult process?

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Dave V
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby Dave V » October 9th, 2009, 1:34 pm

Not really. Trim to fit, press gently with iron. The more precise the cut the less cleanup will be necessary. An alignment fixture helps, but if you're careful it's not necessary. Butting them up against a straightedge will help.

Oh, and if it's your wife's iron, use a pressing sheet of some sort. She won't like what she finds on the sole plate, and you won't either when you find scorched glue on your nice new dress shirt.
"I still play with a full deck, I just shuffle slower"

absoulute
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby absoulute » October 12th, 2009, 3:44 pm

Thats funny. I will certainly keep that in mind when I try this

Ray Banks
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Re: Card Peeling

Postby Ray Banks » October 12th, 2009, 4:19 pm

Basically you just put a piece of DMT between the sides of the card and apply heat through an iron or somethibng. I use a heating iron I got from a hobby shop (one that sells RC airplanes and the like).

Probbaly a Google for Dry Mount Tissue will lead to some directions for use.
Pick a card....Any card....NO not THAT card..THIS one!



Ray Banks


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